Death rate down, life expectancy up in U.S.

By Nanci Hellmich, USA TODAY

Children born today can expect to live longer than ever in U.S. history, according to preliminary government data released Wednesday.

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Life expectancy at birth increased to 78.2 years in 2009, up from 78 years in 2008.

"What this means is that somebody born in 2009 can expect to live to an average of 78.2 years. This is a new record high for life expectancy," says Kenneth Kochanek, a statistician with the National Center for Health Statistics, which is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Death rates for 10 of the 15 leading causes of death decreased significantly between 2008 and 2009, including for heart disease, cancer and stroke.

"Basically, this is nothing but good news," Kochanek says.

The reasons for the decline will be examined when the final data is released later this year, he says.

Other findings from the National Vital Statistics System, which is data from death certificates from all 50 states and Washington, D.C.:

•For white males, life expectancy is 75.7 years; for white females, 80.6. For black American males, life expectancy is 70.9 years; for females, 77.4 years.

•Infant mortality in the U.S. hit a record low in 2009 at 6.42 infant deaths for every 1,000 live births. This is a 2.6% decline from 6.59 deaths per 1,000 births in 2008.

•Age-adjusted death rate for the U.S. population fell for the 10th year in a row to an all-time low of 741 deaths per 100,000 in 2009. This is down from 758.7 deaths in 2008.

•There were 2,436,682 deaths in the U.S. in 2009, down from 2,473,018 in 2008.

The increase in life expectancy and decline in death rates for major diseases are encouraging, says Ralph Sacco, a neurologist and president of the American Heart Association, and show "that our treatments and prevention programs are working."

But "death is not always the best measure of the burden of disease, since disability and quality of life are also important measures," he says.

"The continuing differences between blacks and whites also highlight the need to more effectively prevent cardiovascular diseases and stroke among African Americans."

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